Shoe lasting apparatus



J. s. KMflEsoRl/W 1,919,660

SHOE LASTING APPARATUS July 25, 1933.

2 Sheets-Sheet, l

Filed July 28, 1952 JUIYZS, J, s KAMBQRlAN `v 1,919,660

SHOE LASTING APPARATUS Filed July 28,-1952 2 lSheets-Sheet, 2

. Patented July z5, '1933 UNITED STA-TES- PATENT OFFICE .moon s. mnonuN, or wnsr NEWTON, :massoni:sieurs, AssIeNon ro NORTHERN MACHINE O0., INC., 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS,

SETTS A CORPORATION OF'HASSACHU- snor: pasarme Arrm'rus Applicatipn led July 28,

This invention pertains to shoe manufacture and relates more particularly to apparatus for use in lasting shoes, the present application being a contmuation in part of my copending application SerialfNo. 515,921, iled February 16, 1931. lIn my aforesald applicationv I described one desirable process of and apparatus for use in lasting the end portions of shoes in'which a heated presser device, preferably contoured similarly to the end portion lof the shoe to be lasted, is.'

disposed upon the marginal folded-in portions of the shoe upper which lie upon the bottom surface of the insole, the presser device being held under heavy compression a ainst themarginal folded-in upper mater1al until attaching cement inter osed between the overlappin parts of t e upper and insole has set. 'lghus the end portions of the shoe may be lasted by such process without recourse to pegs, stitches, tacks, staples, or 'other independent fastener eleinents, and I herein describe and, among other thin s, claim broadly means appropriate to t e practice of the method which is claimed in my aforesaid application.

I have further discovered that by certain modifications of my prior paratus, the marginal material ofthe upper may be flattened and leveled at the end yof the shoe as described in my aforesaidapplication and that the material may also be smoothed and leveled for a substantial distance from the end, fory example, along practically the entire forepart of the shoe, thereby providing an ideal surface for the reception of the outer sole, whether the latter be secured by cement or other means, for example, stitchesf v In attaining these last-mentioned results,

I provide a presser devicewhich, while still preferably of the more or less semi-elliptical 'contour of that disclosed in my aforesaid application, is of greater length so as to cover `more of the shoe bottom, and which preferably ,is furnished rearwardly of its.

`curved forward end with resilient wings adapted to exert pressure upon the marginal upper material rearwardly of the toe portion of the shoe bottom, and to adapt them-` process and ap- 1 1982. Serial No. 825,285.

selves tothe curvature or slope of the last at these parts.

In accordance with certain aspects of my invention, I prefer to employ a resser dein heater unit (preferably electrical), and in any event I find it desirable to rovide means fo'r accurately regulating the eat of the presser device in accordance with the type of work or the kind of leather.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein I have illustrated certain desirable embodiments of the invention by way of example,

Figyl is a plan view of a simple form of presser device useful in method oflasting; y

-Fig. l2 is a rear edge elevation of the presser device of Fi 1;

Fig, 3 is a sia elevation of the same presser device shown resting upon an electricfm stove having means for `controlling the heat imparted to the presser device;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary bottom yiew of the forward end of a shoe showing the presser device in position for use, with the Wipers of a bed lasting machine disposed on the margin of the presser device for forcing the latter against the shoe bottom;

Fig. 5 is; a fragmentary side elevation showing the parts as positioned in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of a shoe illustrating the appearanceof the shoe parts at the completion of side lasting, and before the toe lasting has been finished;

Fig' 7 is a fragme'litry bottom view of l' Fig. `l() is a side view, to larger scale, of A a presser device accordingto a further modiication 'and adapted to level the bottom material of the shoe'over a substantial por- 'tion of the forepart, the device beingshowii Vstanding on its rear edge;

vice which is portable and which as a builtperforming my 5 2 naiaeeo Fig. 11 is a rear end elevation of the resser device of Fig. with the handle roken away;

Figi 12 is a bottom view of the presser ,device of Fig. 10;

In order to indicate the utility of the pres-V ent invention, reference is first made to Fig. 6 of .the drawings. wherein the numeral 1 designates the upper of a shoe assembled upon a last together with the insole 2, and havingxthe forward end of the upper pulled over t e last and held temporarily in position by the pulling-over tacks 3. The marginal portions 4. of the upper are shown as having been lasted in over the insole along the sides of the shoe. As yhere illustrated these marginal rtionsl may be considered as held in laste position by means of adhesive of suitable t e, although so far as the present invention 1s concerned in its broader aspects, the type of fastener employed in the si e lasting operation is immaterial..

'For lasting in the margin of the `upper material at the toe, it is customary to mount the last with the shoe parts thereon in a bed lastin machine and, after withdrawl the pu g-over tacks 3, to wipe in the marginal portion of the upper at the toe by means of the relatively movable wiper plates of. the bed lasting machine. These wiper plates first engage the upper .at a. point beow the level of the insole and then, while pressing the upper against the surface of the last, are raised `Iand then slid inwardly over the bottom of the insole while approaching each other so as to wipe in the marginal material and draw it snugly labout the toe ortion of the last. Necessarily the approac of the wiper plates toward each other tends to. gather in the fullness of the toe material at the mid-portion of the shoe bottom, producing. vpleats in the marginal portion of the upper material which must afterwardybe reduced to provide a level surface, either lby trimming before the outer sole is applied or bya pounding operation after the outer sole is in place. Neither of these .modes of leveling a shoe bottom is whollysatisfactory, and in many cases the irregularly folded and thickened mass of material at the toe is evident in a bulge or.

hump in the outer surface ofthe outer sole after the shoe is finished. s

As more fully ointedout in my copending application erial No. 515,921, I lhave discovered that by the proper application of pressure to the' wiped-in material at the toe `rtion, before the outer sole is applied, a level bottom surfacel may be obtained while at'the same time this application of` Hatten.

vbottom and is ing pressure may be employed to hold' the wiped-in marginal portion of the upper in proper position until upper securing cement has set, thereby permittmg the :torepart of Athe shoe to be lasted without the use of permanent metallic fastener elements.

" In producing the desired attening pressure while holding the upper material in lasted-in position during the setting of cement, I have successfully employed a presser device such, for example, as shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive." This presser device 9, in `the embodiment illustrated in these figures, comprises a. substantially rigid metallic plate 10, such as might be made, for example, by cutting oii a portion of the toe -end of the usual sheet metal bottom employed on lasts of certain types. A plate thus formed would have a' curved forward end portion 11 and a substantially 'straight rear edge 12, although the shape of this rear edge is/substantially immaterial. vThe device thus produced may be regarded as of substantially semi-elliptical shape, in which the ellipse is divided along its minor axis. The plate 10 is of such dimensions as.to cover substantially all of the wiped-in marginal material at the toe portion of the shoey referably somewhat wider than that portlon of the shoe bottom to which it is to be applied so that its edge portions will project outwardly beyond the outer margin of the. insole. However, I contemplate that the device may have a certain degree of utility even though the plate does not extend beyond the margin of the insole, and I do not wish it to be understood that as a matter of commercial practice, such presser devices 'would ordinarily be made from metal las bottoms.

I find that for certain purposes it is de-v sirable to make the under' surface of this plate 10 upwardly concave, as shown in wipers the latterwill be raised suiiiciently above the level of the shoe bottom to permit the insertion of the marginal portions, at least of the pressure devlce 9, between `the under surface of the wipers and the wiped-in marginal material of the shoe After the first in-wiping movement the wipers, portions of the lining or other upper materials may be trimmed away asvusual, if desired.

.Preferably, although not necessarily, the pressen device is furnished with a handle member 15 by which it may be lifted and 'tioned between the wipers and the shoe bgltom. While this handle; is shown -as adapted for manual manipulation of the resser device, I here employ the word handle as broadlyvinclus'ive of any'means for moving the presser device into and out of operative position, whether such movement be accomplished direetl by of the operator or ad'unctive to the bed referably the itis applied to t e I find that a. heated in ironin smooth an the hand by mec amcal means lasting machine.

upper material since in setting the wipedin material in flat condition than is an unheated plate. Moreover, in the use of .certain types of cement,` heat is highly advantageous. For example, if rubber latex be employed as a cement, the use of heat causes the cement to set very rapidl while, on the other hand, if the surface oft einsole or the margins of the upper materials have been previousl coated or impregnated with a cement whic becomes active when heated, the use o the heated presser-plate causes such cemen to become active at the instant when its adhesive qualities are most necessar y Igor heating the plate to the desired temperature, I may, for example, provide a stove 16, upon ywhose up r surface the pate may be positioned during the intervals tween its use. This stove may, for example, have an electrical heating element .from a 17 suppliedv with electrical energy 'suitab e source, the heating effect. of the heating element being controlled by a rheostat 16 having a switch and indicating device 19 coopierating with adations which may be mar ed, for examp e, to correspond to the t Thus, fbi'e instance, when the shoes have uppers ofcalf leather, the`indicator 19 may be set, tothe calf leather, w ereupon the operator will be delivered to the presser device for use in dealingl with leather of this character, while if leat er of other type is to be employed, the indicator tioned. .l

After the presser device has been interpgsed between the wiper plates and the shoe ttom, as described, the Wiper plates lare will be correspondingly posillilmoved vertically downward a ainst the surface 14of the'presser device, thereby-forcing the entire presser device down against the ,wiped-in upper material, the parts being left in this position until the cement has Substantially set. The application of heat and pressurevery effectively ilattens the wiped-in upper. material as indicated at 20 in Fig. 7, thus producing a :smooth and level bottom .surface well ada ted to receive the,A outer sole without bulging the latter,

late 10 is heated before t (plate 1s Amore e ectivev of leather which is to` bef/lasted.'

radation corresponding toand being particularly desirable in the event that the outer sole isto be attached vb'y cement or 'similar -methods, sincethe .iattened u condition lor abrasion Lin accordance with the usual methods whereby to provide a gpod anchorage forV the sole-attaching cement.

The presser device need be left in pressure-applying position but ime. For example, 10 to 15 seconds is ordinarily suicient when dealing with leather of reasonably tractable nature. It may be remarked that this presser device i Y notsecured to the'shoe bottom during this process by tacks, prongs, screws, bolts or any other devices which penetrate or enter the insole or the .folded-over uppe'r material, so that immediately upon release of the presser by raising of the wipers, the presser device may be removed freely from the shoe bottom.d The operation is thus very materially shortened as compared with processes in which a retaining device is secured to the insole by tacks, prongs, bolts, or the like, and in which event the retaining'device must be priedoif or otherwise 'detached at the completion of the upper securing operation.

While the'device shown in Figs. 1 to iInclusive is highly desirablefor the purpose,

handlehaving a ypassagefor the electric conductor 25 (Fig. 9) which may lead to any desired and convenient source of electrical energy, preferably with the4 inter osition of a controlling rheostat, such as t at shown .in Fig. 3. The heater housing22 is so arranged as not to interfere with the superposition of the wipers' 7 and `8 upon the outer marginal portion of the presserdevice so that the presser-device may be interposed between the wipers at the same wa as the fdescribed. yowever, independent. stove and th the desired temperature for use;

The devices as previously described are described -primarily for use in ilatteningthe wiped-in material at the toe portion only 'of the shoe bottom, but I find that by lengthening `the presser device it may advantageously be employed for flattening the wipedin marginal material not only at the toe,

the shoe bottom in 1n this instance the Ina-yv be dispensed with per material is in the -hest conelement in the presser substantially. the same Preferably a handle 24 is secured to this housing 22, the.

a relatively short ico resser device above e presser device is always heated to in pleats, and when the outer sole is but also along the sides of the forepart of the shoe. In accordance with usual methods of'side lasting, the marginof the upper at the forepart is left somewhat wrinkled ald to e secured by cement, the abrasion of this pleated material to provide a. good anchorf age for the cement 1s somewhat difficult in l preferably stiff and substantially ri id and aving a smooth under surface, suc plate 'having a curved forward edge 11 and usually being substantiall straight at its rear edge 12, thegeneral s a e of the plate being substantially semi-e liptical but more elongate than-the plate shown in Fig. 1, and in fact long enough to extend from the toe end of the shoe bottom substantially to the shank portion.` Preferably a heater housinv' 22" is disposed upon the central part'of this plate at its upper side, extending longi- 31 or .other suitable means.

ends of the dang-es 30 preferably are spacedv tudinally thereof, andhaving the heater element 23 housed within it.` A handle 245 projects from the housing v4and encloses the electrical conductor 25, which preferably extends to a rheostat 18 having an indicator 19s similar to that shown in Fig. 3. The housing 22 is of such dimensions as to leave the marginal portion of the upper surface 14 of the plate exposed so that/such marginal portion may be inserted between the wipers 7 and 8 of the bed lasting, machine (Fig. 14) and the bottom surface o the shoe. N

Preferably, although not necessarily, I provide the plate 10 with a pair of stiiily resilient wings 27 and`28 extending longitudinally of the plate at its under side. Preferably these wings are of spring steel and extend from a point spaced rearwardly of the forwardcurved end of the plate to its rear end, leaving the forward portion 29 of the plate free for direct engagement with the bottom surface of the shoe, such forward portion operating in exactly the same way as the plate 10 and the plate 21, above referred to. The wings 27 and 28 preferably are provided with flanged portions 30 at their inner edges, which. are permanently secured to the plate 10A by means of rivets The forward apart, while their rear ends approach each other, as shown at 32. Preferably the forward parts of the Wings are upwardly curved at 33 and their ends are disposed in slots 34C in the plate 10", thus permitting the device to be slipped between the shoe bottom and l thelifted wipers without danger of catching in the material of the shoe. he outer portions of the plates 27 and 28 are normally spacedfrom the under surface of the plate 10, but 'when the device is applied to the shoe bottom and subjected to means of the wipers of the bed lasting machine, these win s 27 and 28 are forcibly pressed against t e wiped-in marginal portions of the upper along the si es of the forepart and by reason of their resiliency are enabled to maintain such pressure even though the bottom surface of the last and the insole ma be curved or sloped, or otherwise dispose outof the plane of the toe portion of the last bottom. Thus, this device is capable of flattening the material at the toe portion and also of smoothing the material at the sides of the shoe bottom at -the forepart so as to produce the desired snooth surface for the reception of the outer so e.

If desired, stops, for example, the adjustable set screws 35, may be provided for limiting the flexing of the wings 27 and 28.

While it is preferred \to employ a portable device of this type manipulated by the hand` ofthe operator, 1since I believe that this represents the quickest and easiest way of operating such a device, I contemplate that it may be supported mechanically and that it may be moved into and out of position mechanically by suitable operative connections, and I regard my invention as broadly inclusive of any method of manipulating the presser device.

While I have herein disclosed certain deressure by` sirable embodiments of the invention by way of example, it is to be understood that these f n are merely by way of illustration and are not to be regarded as restrictive of the invention and that any suitable modification of shape,

material, dimension, and relative arrangement of parts may be made within the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims. f I claim:

l. Apparatus for use in lasting shoes in a bed lasting machine wherein the marginal lportion of a shoe upper is folded in overran insole mounted on a last, lsaid apparatus comprising a portable pressure applying device including a plate shaped to overlie and to contact with substantially all of the folded-in material across the entire width of the forepart of the shoe bottom, said plate being stiff and rigid, said device also including a heater element permanently disposed in heat transferring relation to the plate, and a handle for manipulating the device.

2. Apparatus for use in lasting shoes in la bed lasting machine comprising a portable presser devlce shaped to conform substanlil@ liti

of a shoe bottom and to overlap the folded- `in margin of the upper, said device Yhaving an under surface shapedto cover and conf ltact said folded-in margin from one side to the other ofthe shoe, the under surface of said device being slightly concave u wardly whereby to exert greater pressure a ong the margins of' the shoe bottom than at'intermediate parts, said device having portions of suchthickness as to permit them to be inserted between the shoe bottom and the wipers of the bed lasting machine. v 3, Apparatus for use in setting the marginal portion of the upper material which is folded in over the insole during lasting, said apparatus comprising a ortable presser plate shaped to conform su stantially to the contour of the forward portion of a shoe bottom and to cover said forward portion from side to side thereby to overla the folded-in margin of the upper, a hand e for manipulatingsaid plate, a heater housing upon the upper side of the plate, and a heater element within the housing for heating said plate to a predetermined temperature.

4. Apparatus for use in lasting shoes in a bed lasting machine comprising a portable presser plate having ya vcurved edge portion of a contour corresponding substantially to that of the forepart of a shoe bottom, and having a substantially straight rear ed e, said late being adapted to overlie t e folde -in margin of the upper, and meansl permanently mounted upon'the plate and ada ted to heat the latter to a substantially predetermined temperature, the marginal portion of the plate being of such. thickness as to permit its insertion between the folded- 40 in marginal portion of the upper and the wipers of a bed lasting machine.

5. Apparatus for use .in setting the marginal portion of the upper material which 1s folded in over the insole durin lasting,

said apparatus comprisinga portab e presser plate having an under surface which is shaped to overlie and to contactl with substantially`y all of the folded-in material across the entire width 'of the shoe bottom,

the ed e ortion of said resser device bein g P g so shape as to permit the wipers of the bed lasting machine to rest thereon for applying pressure to said device in the direction of the shoe bottom, and a handle for manipulating v said device. y

6. Apparatus for use in combination with a bed lasting machine for holding the wipedin marginal vportion of `upper material vin lasted-in position while attaching cement is 00 setting, said apparatus comprising a portable presser device having anV under surface shaped to overlie and to contact with substantially all of the wiped-in material across the entire width of the forepart of the shoe bottom of a shoe mounted in the lasting regardless of the contour machine, the device bein ing elements but having portions designed or engagement by the wipersof the lasting machine so that the latter may exert pressure thereupon toward the "shoe bottom, and a handle for lpositioning said presser device.

7. Apparatus for use in combination with a bed lasting machine for holding the wiped-in marginal portion of upper material in flat condition while attachmgcement is setting, said apparatus comprising aA portable presser device having. a substantially rigid plate-like member semi-elliptical contour adapted to overlie the forward portion of the shoe bottom and to cover the folded-in margin of the upper, the ldevice having van upper surface engageable by the wipers of the bed lasting machine` for pressing the device forcibl against the shoe bottom, means for use in interposing said .device between the wipers and the shoe bottom, and heater means movable with the device.

8. Apparatus for use vin combination with a bed lasting machine comprising a presser device having portions adapted to overlie` and to exert flattening pressure upon the wiped-in margin of the upper at substantially all portionsof the forepart of lthe shoe of the last bottom, .said device also having a surface engageable by the wipers of the bed lasting machine whereby to transmit pressure from` the wipers to the folded-in marginal material of the upper.

9. A a bed lasting machine for holding the wipedin marginal portion of upper material in lasted-in setting,- said apparatus comprising a'portable presser device i rigid plate-like member provided at its upper side with a heater and withmeans for moving the device into and out of operative relation to a shoe mounted in thev lasting machine, said plate-like lmember vbeing shaped to cover substantially the entire fore. part of the shoe bottom and having resilient wing members operative to compress the wiped-in marginal material at the sides` of the forepart,

to be pressed downwardly by the bed last- 10. Apparatus for use in combination with a bed lasting machine for holding the wiped-in marginal portion of-upper-materi-- alin lasted-in position while attaching cement is setting, said apparatus comprising a portable presser devlce having a substantially rigid plate of substantially semielliptical shape and of a size f such as to cover the toe portion atleast of the shoe bot tom and to project outwardly beyond the pparatus for use in combination with posltion while attaching cement is gk devoid of pron or openings for the reception of other attac of -substantially having a substantially the lplate-like member having a marginal portion arranged to underlie and` means for accurately predeterming the dewith substantially allof the wiped-in ma,-

terial across the entire width of the shoe 5 bottom, Vand a handle for use in disposing the plate in operative position, the outwardly projecting portion of the plate being of such thickness as to permit its insertion beneath the lifted wipers of the bed lasting machine and being adapted to receive downward pressure of the superposed wipers whereby to flatten the wiped-inqmar in of he upper and the central portion ofthe plate being devoid of fastener receiving openings. l

11. Apparatus for use in combination with a bed lasting machine for holding ,the wiped-in marginal portion of upper matel rial in fiat condition while attaching cement Q0.

is setting, said apparatus comprising a presser device, said device havin a surface engageable by thewipers of the ed lasting machine whereby to transmit downwar pressure from the wipers to the`\.wiped-in moving the-'device into and out of operative sition. i l2. Apparatus for use in combination with the wipers of a bed lasting machine for holding the wiped-in marginal portion of upper material in lasted-in position until it has set, said apparatus compgising a movable presser device including a plate having a shoe bottom .engaging surface shaped to Qverlie and to contact with substantially all of the wiped-in marginal material ,at the toe and along the sides of the forepart of the, shoe bottom, said plate being stii and rigid. and devoid of prongs or openings for the reception of vfastener elements, means for heating the plate, means for use in moving the plate into and out of operative relation ,to the shoe and wipers, and adjusting gree of heat of the plate in accordance with the kind of material to be lasted.'

13. Apparatus for use in combination with a bed lasting machine for flattening ythe wiped-in marginal portion of upper material,` said apparatus comprising a portable presser device having a stiff substantially rigid member adapted to overlie the forepart vof the shoe bottom, the forward end of said member being substantially dat for exerting liattening pressure upon the wiped-in upper material at the toe, and resilientelements rearwardly of the forward end of s'aid device adapted to exert resilient flattening pressure upon the marginal lasted-in ma- .terial rearwardly of the toe portion, means for moving said device intoy and out of opi erative relation to the shoe bottom, and

iinarginal material of the upper, said device having a heater disposed so as to avoid inter-` ference with the wipers, and a handle for nalaten! 15. Apparatus for use in combination ywith a bed lasting machine for ironing the wiped-in marginal portion of upper malterial while attaching cement is setting, said apparatus comprising a portable resser device having a rigid yplate of su stantially semi-elliptical contourand having a Hat and smooth under surface, a lheater mounted on top of the plate, a handle for manipulating the device, and a pair of resilient pressureapplying wings secured to the under surface o the late. Y

16.' pparatus for 'use in combinationr with a bed lasting machine comprising a presser dev/ice comprising a plate of substantially semi-elliptical contour having a :dat under surface, a heater member on top ofthe plate, a handle. for manipulating the device, a pair of resilient pressure-appfying wings secured to the under surface o the plate, the outer edges of the wings substantially registeringv with `the corresponding edge portions of the. plate and the inner edges of said wings bein closer together at their rear ends than' at t eir forward ends.

17. Apparatus, for use in combination with a bed lasting machine comprising a portable presser device including a plate of substantially semi-elliptical contour and having a substantially flat under surface, a pair of resilient wing members extending longitudinally of the under surface of the plate, said wing members having flange portions engaging the plate, and means permanently uniting the ilan e portions to the plate,'the outer margins o said wings bein normally spaced fromfthe under surface o the plate.

-18. Apparatus for use in Acombination with a bed lasting machine comprising a portable resser device includin a substantially rigid plate of semi-elliptical contour, a pair of resilient Wing members extending longitudinally of the under surface of the plate from a point spaced rearwardly of its curved forward end substantially to its rear end, eachwing being iixedly united to the.

lll@

. a bed lasting device includi having a curved fo resilient wing me the plate, the W width from the f toward the rear e machine comprising a presser ng a substantiall rward edge mbers at the ing members increasin rward portion of nd of the latter. pparatus for use in combination with g machine wherein the marginal a shoe upper is wiped in over the prising a portable ons adapted to be pers ofthe ottom of a ne, the presser dentially flat plate ntially to the outer of the shoe bottom rface operative to h substantially all at the toe, the dengageable by the ative to transmit the wipers to the and means for use in moving to and out of operative relathe device being ers or .openings ners and being shoe when rey rigid plate and a pair of under side of insole, said presser device having between thelif bed lastlng machine and the b shoe mounted in the machi vice including a substa adapted to conform substa contour of the toe portion and having an under su cover and to contact wit of the wiped-in material vice having a portion e wipers and being oper downward pressure from shoe bottom, the device in tion to the sh devoid of at for the rece apparatus com oe and wipers, taching fasten ption of faste freely removable from the leased from the pressure of th 21. Apparatus for use in co a bed lasting machine comp 5 device having parts design mbination with rising a presser ed to be inter- 1,919,6eo i 7 posed between the wipers of the bed lasting machine and the bottom of a shoe mounted in the machine, said device having an under surface operative to cover the wiped-in marginal material of the shoe upper at the toe portion at least and being devoid of prongs or other retaining elements so that it may be freely removed from the shoe when the pressure of the wipers is released, means for heating the under surface of the device, and a heat-insulated handle for moving the device into and Iout of operative relation to the shoe and the lasting machine wipers.

' 22. Apparatus for use in combination with the wipers of a bed lasting machine, said apparatus comprising a presser element constructed and arranged to be interposed between the lifted wipers of the machine and the bottom of a shoe mounted in the machine andv to transmit downward pressure from the wipers to the toe portion of the shoe bottom, said presser element having surfaces designed for engagement by the lasting wipers and being insertable beneath and freely removable from below the lifted wipers by movement of the element in a direction substantially parallel to the shoe bottom', said element being stif and rigid and devoid of projecting prongs or openings for the reception of fasteners, a handle for use in manipulating said presser element, and means for heating said element.

JACOB s. KAMBORIAN. 

